Induction heating of material involves the use of a generated magnetic field to induce a current flow in a material and a corresponding heating (termed I2R heating). Current techniques require the equipment for this process to be pre-set with dimensions of a particular batch of billets or bars to be heated. Individual billets not exactly matching these dimension settings could be heated inaccurately. Billets once heated above the solidus cannot be recycled and must be thrown away. This process can result in a large percentage of wasted billets, reaching as high as 20–30% of a batch wasted.
There is thus a need for a method and apparatus for reducing the inefficiencies and waste in an induction heating process.